Viduthalai Part 2

Viduthalai 2 is a rare instance of a Vetrimaaran film not hitting the anticipated highs. Sure, the efforts are evident in terms of writing and performance, but this is Vetrimaaran pulling off a Gautham Menon in terms of excessive voiceovers - it's always "tell" and not "show." The love story in Part 1 was one of its top redeeming qualities, but the Vijay Sethupathi - Manju Warrier romance is not as resonating. Maybe, both their wigs were too distracting for me. It gets better in the second half, however.

Ilaiyaraja's score is fantastic, especially adding more fervour to the action blocks. Vetri crafts the pre-intermission corn field set piece really well. Placing the blow horn-esque Viduthalai theme amid it was also a solid decision. Then again, the editing (as is the case in several Vetrimaaran films) is choppy. We can sense a matter-of-fact, information-dump nature to the proceedings with Rajiv Menon and company (offering some odd hilarity in the process), but an extra dose of melodrama (and preachiness) is added to the flashbacks.

I'm not sure if it's an editing flaw or because Vetri has the habit of rewriting dialogues at the time of dub, but the voiceovers at times tend to overlap with dialogue exchanges; that was jarring as hell. Technicalities aside, this is probably Vetri's most politically charged film to date, even when some loose threads don't really get anywhere. How you take to that can also affect your viewing experience. The film's concluding scene reinstates how good a writer Vetrimaaran is, and how great a performer Soori is.

Also, did CBFC really choose to blur out those gory scenes after an "A" certification? I don't get it. The same goes for cuss words.

While viduthalai-1 is classic elevated by Suri, viduthalai-2 is good but many parts look cliched and over reaching. Vijay sethupati has acted well as always but would not say brilliant. Gautam menon have same wooden expression as in umpteen films. He is miscast. Anurag kashyap still has the same cheeky expression of a paanwalah. Sethupathy and Anurag kashyap look too well fed for the radicals they were portraying. The guys portraying chief secretary, collector and SP are mere caricatures. The locations, photography brilliant. For his standards, expected much more from Vetrimaran. Still a good movie.

Stories of people who are in authority (capitalism) are sculptured as history but the history of people who fought for the oppressed and minorities with (communism) ideology are not even being written as stories. This ideology is still prevailing and will prevail until common people are given the authority.

It's a crime for Vetrimaaran to direct a movie that is too good and convey messages like these which are important for the future generations.

This film as a single masterpiece has made an everlasting impact on me and I hope that stories like these should be encouraged in Tamil cinema. Already the reviews are bashing its way to the top as being Vetrimaaran's best film and I personally thought that no film would be equal to Vada Chennai in future but, Viduthalai has proved me wrong. However there will be some people criticising every movie that gets released. For those people, whoever criticises this is not criticising the movie and the direction but to be understood in a way that he is supporting capitalism and not aligning with Vetrimaaran's or ours ideology.

Vetri had done something not many can do. I know he lived in North Arcot district in his early days. I have heard few stories about Naxalits and i can see he had heard too 😊

Dialogues were poweful and it's a politics lesson for all. It's coming at a time right wing is dominating india.

As always Sethu supporting these kinds of movie is not new but hats off again.

End of the day, i was wondering why Vetri did this movie. For sure this got less scope for a blockbuster movie like aadukalam or vada chennai. I see this as, Vetri liked to share what a communist party and back in days, the so called naxalites got created. More than that, he makes us all feel violence is not a solution but politicizing people is the solution, which is what Thiruma keeps saying 😊

Viduthalai Part 2 is somewhat similar to 2003 Tamil Drama "Anbe Sivam" starring Kamal Hassan and Madhavan. Both of them are bases upon the Marxist ideology of equality and annihilation of oppressors. Yet both are completely different in a way that later one is slice-of-life comedy drama that has hint of violence while the former is cruel and brutal yet filled with raw emotion and political depth.

The second installment of 2023 version of Vetrimaaran's political crime drama is as gripping and thrilling as the first one. Part 1 was all about Soori's character Kumaresan, this part solely focuses on the rebellion leader Vaathiyar Perumal played by none other than Vijay Sethupathi. Isn't this enough to get everyone's attention!!!

Part 2 depicts the backstory behind the events that turned a school teacher into the leader of an extremist group. Perumal himself narrates his origin story to the policemen who are escorting him to a secure location after his arrest. Kumaresan is not completely out of picture though. Even after playing a significant role in the capturing of Perumal, he's still facing the moral dilemma, caught between his sense of duty and the brutal reality of the police force he's working for.

Background score from Ilaiyaraaja is spot on as it was in the earlier version along with brilliant visuals that make this an epic saga.